Curveball
by stargatefan87
Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Curveball

Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel. (Takes place after AoT, but before Sam goes to Atlantis)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate I would be rich. I am not rich. Therefore, I do not own Stargate.

**A/N: Major Davis will seem a bit OOC, but it's necessary for the fic cause I don't want to make up a person and I needed someone from canon. Sections separated by X's signify a change in POV.**

**Intro**

It's strange really, how when you least expect it, life decides to throw you a curveball. You could have the most mundane existence on this earth (or universe), and then WHAM! Suddenly you are put into a whole new situation and you will never be the same. That's not to say that people with interesting lives can't be thrown a curveball as well. They too can experience what seems to be an insignificant event, only for it to change their lives forever...

**Chapter 1: Chain Reaction**

It all started in the commissary. It was lunchtime and Daniel and Vala were eating together at one of the smaller tables. Usually, the pair ate earlier to avoid the rush of hungry SGC personnel that all seemed to swarm in at about noon. However, Daniel was in the 'super archeologist' mode, as Vala liked to call it. He had kept her with him in his office a whole hour later than usual to finish cleaning an artifact.

Daniel was no longer afraid to admit that liked Vala. In fact, he liked her a lot. He enjoyed having her around and often missed her on the rare occasions that she was not with him. Yes, she still annoyed him, and yes, they still bickered, but their friendship continued to grow stronger every day. And lately, something a little more...

Daniel watched as Vala finished her food and went up to go get some dessert. He knew even before she sat back down, that she would get blue Jell-O, topped with whipped cream. It was her very favorite thing that the commissary offered up for dessert. Without warning, the image of Vala, with a dollop of whipped cream on her nose, played itself in Daniel's mind.

He was still off in fantasy land, when he heard the crash.

Daniel immediately leaped out of his chair and looked around to see what had happened. What he saw confused him. Vala was on the floor, with her tray and cubes of Jell-O scattered around her. One of the cubes had somehow gotten into her hair, and he would have laughed had he not seen the pained expression on her face and the man kneeling next to her.

Daniel rushed to her side. "Vala! What happened?"

The man turned and Daniel saw that it was Major Paul Davis. He hadn't seen Davis in a while since he had been working with the Jaffa off-world. "I went to get up off of my chair and I didn't realize that she was right beside me. I accidentally knocked her over."

Davis turned back to Vala. "Are you hurt?"

She winced and and looked down at her left wrist, which was turned at an odd angle. "I hurt my wrist."

Daniel instantly inspected her wrist, clearly concerned. "You may have broken it. Come on, let's get you to the infirmary."

He had planned on carrying Vala there himself, not that she needed to be carried, but before he could lift a finger, Davis had swooped in and lifted her up.

"Don't worry about it Dr. Jackson, I'll take her. I mean, it was my fault after all."

Vala whimpered and clung on to the major with her right arm. "Not your fault, it was an accident."

And then, Daniel watched in horror as the man winked at Vala. "Let me play knight in shining honor to my damsel in distress."

He was flirting with her! The nerve of him to try to steal _his_ woman. Well, technically she wasn't his yet, but he was getting around to perhaps asking her on a real date...maybe.

Vala giggled and Daniel felt a sense of dejection as he followed them to the infirmary.

Carolyn took one look at Vala's wrist and immediately took her to get an X-Ray. Daniel tried to be patient, but he did not like waiting with Mr. Hero for her to return.

"So, Dr. Jackson, are you and Vala dating?" He didn't really know Vala since she had arrived after he was already off-world.

Daniel's heart screamed for him to say yes. It pleaded for him to say, 'keep your hands off of her she's mine!' However, all that came out of his mouth was, "No."

The moment that the word left his lips, he regretted it. He had more or less just given the man the go ahead to pursue Vala.

Daniel was just about to correct himself, when he heard the siren and General Landry's voice over the loudspeaker.

"I need SG-1 in the gateroom immediately!"

Davis slapped Daniel on the back. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she's okay."

Yes, that was exactly what he was worried about. Major Davis was a good man, but Daniel didn't like the side of him that seemed to have a thing for Vala.

XXXXXXX

Vala had indeed broken her wrist. After Carolyn was finished setting it, Vala was saddened to see that Daniel wasn't waiting to see her. Instead, the man who had carried her to the infirmary was there.

"Vala! Oh, you poor thing! Is it broken?"

She nodded before speaking to him. "Yes it is. I'm sorry, but have we met before?" He was a handsome enough man, dark hair and eyes, but she wasn't sure how he knew her.

"I'm Major Paul Davis. I have worked at the SGC for a long time."

"Oh, how do you know me?"

The major chuckled. "_Everyone _knows you, Vala. It's hard not to notice such a beautiful woman."

Vala was taken aback by the major's blatant flirting, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

Later on, Vala was resting in her quarters when she heard someone knocking at her door.

"Come in."

Daniel peeked his head around the corner and then entered. "Hey, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I would've been there when you got out, but Landry called SG-1 to the gateroom."

"Am I in trouble for not showing up?" Vala knew how General Landry could be.

Daniel just shook his head. "No, I explained what had happened to you. You didn't miss much anyway, it was just a false alarm."

"Oh good, you had me worried for a second. The man that carried me to the infirmary waited to see how I was doing. Major Paul Davis? How well do you know him?"

Vala saw a flicker of emotion darkened Daniel's eyes for a moment before he answered. "I've known him for a long while. He's quite a valuable asset to the SGC."

She wanted to know more about him personally, but something in Daniel's eyes told her not to mention the major any more.

Daniel and Vala talked for a little while before his work called to him once again. He walked over and gave her an awkward hug before exiting her room.

Once Daniel had shut her door, Vala collapsed onto her bed and sighed. She felt as if she would never truly understand him. Sometimes, it seemed as if he really liked her and cared for her and other times he could be almost cold and distant.

The next morning, Vala came out of her quarters and almost tripped over a huge bouquet of pink roses.

"Oh, what are these doing here?" She asked herself as she picked up the flowers and inhaled the sweet scent. The sharp edge of a small card poked her cheek and she opened it up.

_Dear Vala,_

_I'm so sorry for causing you to fall and get hurt. Please accept these flowers as my sincerest apology. Also, I would love to take you out to dinner to make up for it. Let me know what day would work best for you._

_Yours,_

_Paul Davis_

Vala just stared at the flowers and the card in awe. She had been hoping that Daniel had sent the flowers to her, but it was, in fact, Major Davis who had given them to her. And he was asking her out! Most of the men at the SGC seemed to steer clear of her, she supposed that her beauty and wit just intimidated them, but apparently it didn't intimidate Major Davis.

That brought her to a whole new set of problems though. Vala still wanted Daniel. He meant so much to her, but she could never be sure what she meant to him. Surely he knew how she felt about him, right? That had to mean that he didn't want to be with her, because if he did, he certainly would have done something about it by now.

Vala remembered something that Mitchell had told her once. He said that sometimes life throws you a curveball (something about baseball, he explained), and you have decide whether or not you want to swing at it or not.

Decision made, Vala went to find Major Davis.

**End of Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoy this new story! Hang in there with me on this one! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Curveball

Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel. (Takes place after AoT, but before Sam goes to Atlantis)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate I would be rich. I am not rich. Therefore, I do not own Stargate.

**A/N: Things may get a little rocky, but I promise a happy ending!**

**Chapter 2: Jealousy and Uncertainty**

Daniel found out about the flowers from Sam. He had been searching for Vala for the better part of an hour and when he decided to check Sam's lab. He found his blonde friend working on her latest mission report.

"Hey, have you seen Vala lately?"

Sam gave Daniel an odd look before she answered. "I saw her earlier."

"Well, where is she? I haven't seen her all day." That alone concerned him because Vala was almost always hanging around him.

Sam sighed. "She's out with Major Davis."

Stunned, Daniel took a few steps back until he had backed up into Sam's bookcase. "Out? Like on a...a date?" He voice had risen an octave as he struggled to ask the question.

"Look Daniel, all I know is what Vala told me."

He slumped into the nearest chair and regarded his friend with a somber gaze. "What did she tell you?"

Sam looked him in the eye. "Are you sure you want to know?"

No, he wasn't sure. Sam really wasn't one to sugar-coat things, so he knew that she would tell him the truth. The question was, did he want to know the truth? Could he handle it?

"Yeah, tell me."

And so she did. Sam explained that Vala had come to her earlier and told her that Major Davis had left her flowers and a card asking her out to dinner. Apparently, Vala had accepted the major's offer and they were out getting dinner at that very moment.

Daniel felt the twin daggers of sadness and jealousy racing throughout his body. The emotions threatened to undo him and he didn't want to break down in front of Sam, so he mumbled a 'see ya later' and headed to his quarters. He slammed the door and sat at the small table in his room with his head down.

Finally alone, he let his thoughts flood his mind. He knew that he should have told Davis that Vala was off limits, that he was working towards asking her out himself. However, something had held him back from doing so. Was he still so afraid of being in a relationship? Or was he just afraid of a relationship with Vala? He had feelings for her, real feelings, serious feelings, feelings that he hadn't had since Sha're, but he needed to learn to trust. He already trusted Vala as a co-worker and friend; he knew that she would risk her life to save him. However, trusting her in a relationship was a whole different story. Lately, he had been thinking that she deserved a chance, that _they _deserved a chance, but now she was on a date with another man and it was all his fault.

Daniel pounded his fists on the table in frustration. He had never had to worry about another man stealing Vala away before. That was mostly because all of the men at the SGC thought that Daniel and Vala were already sleeping together. Apparently, Davis had not gotten that little memo when he came back, either that or he didn't care.

XXXXXXX

After accepting Major Davis' offer, Vala was hit by a wave of uncertainty. She felt as if she almost had to accept his offer, since he had been so nice to her when she had gotten hurt. But as she straightened her ruby colored dress with her good hand, she wasn't sure that she should go through with it all.

In the end, she allowed Major Davis (who insisted that she call him 'Paul') to take her out to dinner. It was just dinner after all, not like it was a real date or anything. Daniel had taken her to dinner quite a few times now, and each time he made it quite clear that dinner did not always equal a date.

Vala had avoided Daniel the entire day, but during her dinner, he was on her mind. She really thought that he was going to come around, that he would finally ask her out or admit that he had feelings for her. However, that time had never come.

"Vala? You seem kinda distant."

She snapped out of her reverie and glanced at Paul, smiling softly. "Oh, I'm sorry, just thinking about...uh...things."

"It's okay. So, tell me about yourself."

Vala told him about her past (good and bad, but mostly good), how she had come to Earth, and also how she felt like it was home now. Paul seemed to take in everything she said and really listen to her. He didn't try to pity her or make her tell him more than she was comfortable with. Vala really appreciated that. She found out that Paul was quite easy to talk to, and after she let go of her internal struggles, she really enjoyed his company.

The rest of dinner went by smoothly, and Paul led Vala back to his car to return to the SGC. She relaxed into the leather seat and shut her eyes. She had to admit to herself that after she relaxed, she had had a good time with the major. He was sweet and kind and he knew just what to say and do to make her have a pleasant evening. Despite all of that though, she couldn't stop thinking about Daniel. She had been in love with him for so long and even though she had tried several times to quell those feelings, she found that she could not.

There was just something about Daniel, or several things, rather. Vala loved how Daniel was a loyal and caring friend. Not just to her, but to the other members of SG-1 as well. She knew that she could count on him to help her when she needed it most, and that meant a lot. He was also devoted to his work. She had never seen a man so passionate about his job. Whether it was translating an artifact or making trade agreements off-world, he was a professional. None of that even mentioned his good looks. Vala loved his light brown hair (especially when it was messy) and his beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean back on her home planet. And then there was his smile, the rare Daniel Jackson smile that was always so adorable to her.

Paul talked to Vala on the way back to the SGC, but she didn't pay much attention to their conversation.

Soon the pair reached the SGC, and Paul walked Vala back to her quarters. She expected him to just tell her goodnight and leave, but that's not what he did.

"I had a really good time with you Vala."

She looked up at him with a smile. "I had a nice time too. Thank you Maj...I mean Paul."

Paul brushed back a lock of her dark hair. "No, thank _you_ for accompanying me."

And with that said, he brought her into his arms and kissed her.

Vala's body reacted immediately to the kiss, even though her mind was screaming that it was wrong. Her body molded against his and she wrapped her arm around him to pull him closer. It was as if her body had a mind of its own, and it desperately wanted to feel some affection. She hadn't been kissed since she had last seen Tomin, and she missed the warm feeling of a man's lips caressing hers.

Paul seemed to take Vala's response as an invitation for more, so he deepened the kiss. Vala mind was racing, a big part of her wanted to stop him, to tell him that she was in love with someone else, but another part of her was thoroughly enjoying herself. It was good to know that she was still as desirable as ever.

Eventually, she broke the kiss; regarding the major with confusion in her eyes. "Why did you do that?"

"I like you Vala, I like you a lot. Did you not enjoy that? Because it certainly seemed like you did."

Not being able to keep his gaze, Vala looked at her feet instead. "I...I...goodnight!" Without answering him, she raced into her room and shut the door.

Vala kicked off her heels and collapsed on her bed, wondering what had just happened.

**End of Chapter 2. That was probably one of the most introspective chapters I have ever written. I hope it turned out well! Review and let me know what you think! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Curveball

Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel. (Takes place after AoT, but before Sam goes to Atlantis)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate I would be rich. I am not rich. Therefore, I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 3: ** **Heartbreak and Decisions**

As upset as Daniel was to find out that Vala had gone out with Davis, he still acted as if nothing had happened when he saw her the next day. He just worked on translating his artifacts with Vala and hoped that she wouldn't mention her date.

"Daniel?"

"Hmm?" He didn't even look up at her.

"Are you upset with me?"

Daniel sighed and met her gaze, noticing that her stormy eyes held a worried look to them. "No, I'm not upset with you."

She gave him a small smile. "Oh, good...I mean you are just so quiet today, quieter than usual."

Daniel took off his glasses and laid them aside as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He really didn't want to get into such a conversation with Vala at that moment.

Lucky for him, Cameron chose that moment to come into his lab.

"Hey Jackson, you might wanna..." Cam stopped cold when his eyes wandered over to Vala.

"I might wanna what?"

Cam's gaze flickered to Vala again before he answered Daniel. "Uh...umm...oh yeah, you might wanna get to the commissary for lunch soon, they have vegetable soup today."

Daniel was confused at his friend's behavior. "I don't like vegetable soup..."

Vala jumped up from her seat. "Oh, but I do! Mind if I go get some?"

"Sure," Daniel said, waving his hand at her.

As soon as Vala had vacated the room, Cam took her seat. "I need to talk to you."

"Hopefully about something other than soup."

"Yeah, I couldn't talk about it in front of Vala."

The tone of Cam's voice had Daniel a bit worried. "What is it?"

The colonel sighed. "There's something you need to see."

Now Daniel was really worried. "Show me then."

Cameron led him to the room where they kept the security camera videos. Daniel had no idea what was going on, not even when Cam popped in a video and fast forwarded it to last night.

Daniel watched as Vala and Major Davis walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Vala's quarters. He felt as if he was choking as he saw Davis kiss Vala, and it only got worse from there. When Vala pulled Davis closer and kissed him back, Daniel's heart broke. He turned away from the video, unable to watch another second of the woman he loved in another man's passionate embrace.

He turned towards Cameron. "Why did you show me that?"

Cam put the tape back where he had gotten it from. "Look man, I know you have a thing for her, and I know you are too afraid to tell her. I just wanted you to see that if you don't show her how you feel, that it might be too late."

Daniel was outraged. "Might be too late? Did you not just see those two practically humping each other against the door?"

Cam put his hands out in front of him in a defensive gesture. "Whoa, calm down. They were just kissin', it's not like he went into her room or anything!"

Daniel wasn't mad at Cam; just heartbroken over the situation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. How did you find out about this anyway?"

"One of the security guards thought I should know what Vala was up to since I am her CO."

"Oh," Daniel said before he made his way back to his lab to finish his work.

Vala was already back from the commissary when he arrived. He didn't know if he could deal with her being around him, so he tried to get her to leave. "Hey, why don't you take a break?"

"No, I'm okay, I want to help you."

Daniel gave her a hard look. "I don't need help right now."

Vala was visibly taken aback by Daniel's harsh demeanor. "Oh, I see how it is. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, see ya," he replied, but she had already left.

Daniel didn't know what to do anymore. As much as he tried to lose himself in his work, the image of Vala and Davis kissing played on and on in his mind. He knew it was a bad idea to get so attached to Vala, but he couldn't help it. Even now, when he felt as hopeless as ever, he could not give her up.

XXXXXXX

Vala couldn't understand why Daniel seemed so upset with her. He hadn't acted like that towards her for quite some time, and now she was confused. In fact, she was confused about a lot of things in life.

She did not know what to do about her situation with Paul. Sure he was a very nice man, he was gentle and kind, and actually listened to her, but he wasn't Daniel. Maybe that was her problem though, maybe she needed to stop comparing every man she met to Daniel, to perfection.

Vala spent some time in her quarters, reading a novel that Sam had recommended to her. It was nice to be able to lose herself in another world and another person's problems.

She was in such a trance-like state with the book, that the sound of someone knocking at her door startled her.

"Come in!" She set the book aside and sat up on her bed.

The door opened and Paul walked into her room, looking very handsome in a suit and tie. "Hey Vala."

Vala hands went immediately to her hair to fluff it up a bit. "Oh, hello Paul, why are you so dressed up?"

He looked down at his suit before answering her. "I had a meeting that just ended."

"And what brings you here to see me?" Vala sat up straighter.

Paul sat on her bed next to her. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out again on Friday?"

Vala wasn't sure what to say. A part of her liked the major, and wanted to go out with him again, but another part of her wanted to tell him that she was in love with someone else. "I...umm...I don't know."

Paul looked saddened by her answer. "I thought you had a good time with me last night."

Vala sighed. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, and she had had a very nice time with him. "I did...it's just..."

His dark eyes found hers. "Just what? Oh, you aren't attracted to me, is that it?"

She was attracted to him, and that was part of the problem. She did kinda want to go out with him again, it wasn't like Daniel was going to come around any time soon, if at all, so she might as well find someone who would care about her and treat her well.

"Don't be silly! Of course I'm attracted to you!"

He smiled, a big goofy grin that Vala just had to giggle at. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, so pick me up at seven on Friday?"

"It's a date." And with that said, he kissed Vala on the cheek and exited her room.

As soon as Paul had left, Vala thought of another one of those stupid sayings that Cam had told her. 'If you can't love the one you want, love the one you're with.' It seemed as if that was what she was going to have to do.

**End of Chapter 3. Don't hurt me! You didn't think it would be resolved so easily did you? Anyway, review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Curveball

Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel. (Takes place after AoT, but before Sam goes to Atlantis)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate I would be rich. I am not rich. Therefore, I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 4: Destruction and A Choice**

_3 months later..._

After a few months of Vala dating Major Davis, Daniel could take no more. He had tried time and time again to accept the fact that Vala was taken; that she was no longer his. Not that she ever really was, but in the past, he had believed that whenever he was finally ready to begin a relationship with her, that she would jump at the opportunity. Now, he was too late. It had become increasingly difficult for Daniel to work alongside Vala. All he could think about was how stupid he had been for never asking her out himself. Seeing her with Davis was more than he could take though. Cameron had had a small party at his place a few weeks ago and Vala had taken Davis as her date. Daniel cringed every time they touched each other, and he felt jealousy overtaking his mind. He could barely maintain a conversation with her anymore.

Finally, Daniel decided to got talk to Davis about how he felt for Vala. He really didn't know what to expect, but he hoped that maybe the other man would back off.

He found Davis sitting at a table in the commissary, eating a slice of apple pie. Thankfully, the major was alone, so Daniel went straight for the chair across from him and sat down.

Major Davis looked up from his food, obviously surprised at Daniel's sudden intrusion.

"Hey Dr. Jackson, what can I do for you?"

Daniel got right to the point. "Stop seeing Vala."

The major's fork clattered down onto his plate. "Wha..what?"

"You heard me...stop dating Vala."

Davis raised a brow at him. "Why would I do that?"

Daniel sighed, but regarded the man with a serious gaze. "Because, I'm in love with her...have been for quite awhile now, and I can't stand seeing her with someone else."

"I asked you months ago if you were dating Vala and you said no. I took that as a go ahead to take her out myself. Now you want me to stop seeing her because you can't get over some silly attraction to her?"

Daniel felt his blood almost boiling in his veins. "Some silly attraction? I've known her since she first came here, before that actually, I know her deep, dark secrets, we have so shared so much over the years, I can't just let her go! You've known her for three months, and you will never, ever know her like I do!"

The major leaned closer with a smirk on his lips. "I _know_ her in a way that you don't..."

Daniel's mind reeled with the implications of the major's remark. He had slept with her? With _his _Vala? The weight of that realization hit him hard. It made sense though, Vala was a very sexual woman, and they had been dating for a few months now. Rationalizing what had happened really did not help him to feel better though. He glared angrily at Davis. "You're not going to end it, are you?"

Major Davis shook his head. "No, I'm not, and before you get any other ideas to steal her away, you should look at this..."

Daniel lifted his head to see him pull out a small box from his pocket and flip it open. The diamond ring both taunted him and broke him. He felt as if his emotions were spiraling out of control, so before he did anything rash, like punch Davis, he got up and stalked out of the commissary.

He raced into his quarters and the rage and despair all poured out of him. He started by punching the wall, and when that only caused his knuckles to bleed, he began to destroy things. First, he smashed the clay vase he had found off-world onto the floor. Next, came the Ancient artifact he had gotten a few weeks ago, and finally, the framed photo of him and Vala from Sam's last birthday. He stomped the shattered pieces of clay and glass into the floor, but it did very little to help him feel better.

XXXXXXX

Vala was getting ready for a night out with Paul. He had promised her dinner at a fancy restaurant, followed by a 'surprise' at his place. Although she was happy dating Paul, she wasn't elated. She enjoyed his company and being with him, but it was as if she was only going through the motions. There was no real excitement to it. As a child, Vala had always thought that whenever she was finally in a steady relationship, that she would feel pure joy. Instead, she felt...content, kind of like how she began to feel when she was with Tomin for awhile. She cared for Paul a lot. He was a very nice man, who certainly knew how to treat a lady. However, she sort of wished that he would challenge her more often. She was actually getting a bit bored with how complacent he was. Even the sex wasn't too exciting. It had been quite some time since she had slept with someone, so she was expecting to have a great time. Instead, she had a...nice time, but it certainly could have been better, and she probably shouldn't have thought about Daniel the whole time.

Oh, Daniel. Ever since she had started to date Paul, he had been acting very strangely around her. He would rarely eat with her anymore, he didn't ask for her help with any of his artifacts or translations, and sometimes it seemed as if he outright ignored her. Vala found that she missed Daniel. Well, she missed they way he used to act around her. She missed the way that he smiled at her, the way that he laughed, their daily lunch together, and even their bickering. Vala knew that still thinking about Daniel, almost three months after she began dating Paul, was probably not right, but she couldn't help how she felt. She couldn't help that she was still in love with him.

The restaurant that Paul took her to was nice, but it almost reminded her of the one that she had gotten kidnapped in, so it was almost ruined for her. It also didn't help that Paul seemed anxious about something. He wasn't his usual charming self, instead, he seemed too nervous to enjoy himself.

"Are you okay?"

Paul looked up at Vala and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I...uh just really hope you like your surprise."

She smiled back at him. "I generally like surprises, especially ones that involve nice gifts."

When dinner was over, he drove her back to his place for her surprise. Vala was pretty excited about it; secretly hoping for fancy chocolates or something along those lines.

Paul led her into his apartment and into the living room. He ushered her to the couch and kissed her lightly.

"Okay, where's my surprise?" She couldn't wait to get into those chocolates.

"Right here," Paul said as he got down on his knee and pulled out a small black box.

Vala was confused at first, but then everything became clear when he opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.

"Vala," he said, smiling at her. "Will you marry me?"

**End of Chapter 4. Reviews are appreciated! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Curveball

Summary: Life throws a curveball at Vala and Daniel. (Takes place after AoT, but before Sam goes to Atlantis)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned Stargate I would be rich. I am not rich. Therefore, I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 5: Truth**

Daniel had gone to his apartment to stay for the weekend. The last thing he wanted was to have to witness Vala's excitement as she showed off her shiny new ring to everyone at the SGC. His mind was torturing him with whether or not Davis had proposed to her or not yet. He knew that Vala was going out with him that night, but he wasn't sure when the man was going to pop the question.

After hours of tossing and turning in bed, Daniel finally fell asleep, just to be woken up a half hour later by his cell phone ringing.

"This better be a fucking emergency!" He yelled at the phone, before picking it up. "What?"

"Daniel?" It was Vala. Her voice sounded small and far away, and almost like she was crying.

His angry dissipated at her the sadness laced in her voice. "Vala? What's wrong?" Daniel sat up in his bed, concerned for his friend.

He heard Vala sniffle before she spoke. "Can you come get me?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm outside of Paul's apartment. I...he...I'll explain later, just please come get me."

Daniel was dressed and ready in less than a minute. He had no idea what had happened, only that he would do anything for Vala.

He arrived ten minutes later and pulled up to the side of the road in front of the major's apartment. Vala was standing there in a short dress, completely soaked by the rain that had started coming down in torrents. Her hair was plastered to her face, and her slim body shivered against the cold.

Daniel raced out into the rain and placed his jacket around Vala's shoulders before leading her into his car.

Once they were both inside, he turned to her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Vala sobbed into her hands. Daniel sighed and scooted as close as he could to her so he could place his arm around her. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here, I've got you. Come on, let's get you back."

Vala suddenly sat upright. "No! Please don't take me back to the base...no one...I mean, look I'll explain later, but can we just go back to your place for now?"

"Okay," he said, starting up the engine.

Once the pair had arrived at Daniel's apartment, he ushered her to sit and placed a blanket around her shivering body.

"Let me go find something warm and dry for you to wear." He quickly grabbed some gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt and handed them over to her along with a towel.

"Thanks Daniel, I really appreciate it."

After Vala had dried herself off and changed, she seemed to have calmed down a bit. She was no longer crying, only the occasional sniffle here and there.

Daniel sat next to her on his couch, close, but not quite touching her. "Can you tell me what happened now?" He knew he was being pushy, but he needed to know what had happened so that he could help make it right.

She nodded. "I went out to dinner with Paul and then he took me back to his place. He said he had a surprise for me, and well, I was definitely surprised..."

"He proposed to you," Daniel interrupted.

"Yes, he did. I was in shock and I didn't know what to say. Don't get me wrong, I liked Paul a lot, but I couldn't marry him."

Daniel tried not to get too excited that Vala had used 'liked' and not 'like', but his heart was beginning to come alive again. "Wait! You said no? Why?"

"Like I said, I _liked _him, but I didn't _love _him."

"Oh, well why were you standing outside of his apartment in the rain? Did he seriously kick you out when you said no?" Daniel was ready to kick the man's ass if he had.

Vala shook her head. "No, nothing like that. He offered to drive me back to the base, but I just couldn't face him anymore so I ran out." She began to cry softly, so Daniel inched closer and wrapped her into his arms.

"Why couldn't you face him?"

She mumbled something unintelligible into his shirt so he had to withdraw from her a bit. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Her gray eyes were watery, but held such emotion in them. "He more or less said that I was a horrible person, a whore even."

Daniel was confused, Davis wasn't really one to say such things. "What did he say to you?"

Vala sighed. "He asked for my reason for refusing his proposal, and...and when I told him, he got angry."

"He was angry that you don't love him?"

"No, he was angry for the reason that I don't love him." Vala turned her head away, like she almost couldn't stand to look at him anymore.

He carefully turned her face back towards him. "And that would be?"

"That I'm in love with someone else."

Daniel's heart thudded loudly inside of his chest. He needed to ask the next question, the next question in which the answer would either break him or fill him with joy. "Who is it?"

"You, Daniel."

He couldn't hold back his delight at her answer. He leaned forward and kissed her, his lips crashing into hers with a passion that he had not felt in a long time.

XXXXXXX

The moment that Vala felt Daniel's lips come to rest against her own, she responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her. She couldn't quite believe that she had let things get so far with Paul, when Daniel had feelings for her all along. At least, it sure seemed like he had feelings for her, given his response to her confession of love for him.

Still, she had to make sure, so she reluctantly broke off their kiss. "Daniel..."

He was not deterred by her breaking their kiss at all. Instead, his lips trailed a fiery path down her neck, kissing and nipping at her skin.

"Mmm...Daniel, stop, you gotta stop."

"Why?" His breathed near her ear and a shudder of pleasure trailed down her spine at the passion she heard in his voice.

"I just admitted that I'm in love with you, not exactly an easy task for me, but you never said how you feel about me."

Daniel's laughter vibrated near Vala's pulse point. "Don't be silly..."

"Silly?" She grabbed his head and made him look into her eyes. "I'm not joking with you, I really want to know."

He sighed, but gently caressed her cheek with his hand. "Vala, I love you."

Hearing his words wasn't quite enough though. "But you have been ignoring me lately!"

Daniel groaned. "I'm sorry, but it was hard for me to see the woman that I love with another man. I couldn't stand being near you, knowing that I couldn't have you."

That made sense to her, but she was still a bit angry with him. "You could have had me a long time ago, you idiot!"

He flinched at her harsh words. "I know, and I'm sorry. Matters of the heart never did come easily for me. Is there a way that I can make it up to you?"

"Hmm..." She paused in mock thought for a moment. "Maybe," she finally said, giving him a saucy wink.

Daniel gave her a sexy smile. "Mind if I try?"

"Oh, please do," Vala responded as he pulled her back into his embrace.

His lips were back on hers in an instant, and she happily reciprocated his kiss, and then deepened it.

Daniel leaned Vala back onto the couch, his body coming to rest over hers. She could feel the quick beat of his heart and the shudder that coursed through his body when she ran her hands under his shirt.

Vala pulled her lips away from his to rid him of his shirt, enjoying the view of the well defined muscles of his chest and abdomen.

The rest of their clothing seemed to disappear shortly afterward, as if the heat of their passion had simply melted them away.

And then their bodies were one, moving together in a slow melody that played on and on. A sweet, yet powerful song that stirred emotion and brought tears of joy to Vala's face. It was a passionate crescendo building up to a magnificent ending.

When the composers of the song were spent, they laid next to each other in perfect harmony.

Daniel broke the silence first, lightly stroking Vala's arm. "You're so beautiful."

She smiled back at him, completely happy to finally be in his arms. "And you're amazing, and quite passionate too."

He chuckled. "Well, I've been wanting to do that with you for a long time now."

His admission pleased her. "Me too, we never should have waited so long."

"Good things come to those who wait, but I'm ready for round two as soon as you are."

Vala grinned at him. "How 'bout now?"

**THE END! Thanks for reading everyone! Reviews are loved!**


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